Live Action! Ladybug and Cat Noir!
by nerdlife4eva
Summary: Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir has been written into a live action movie - starring everyone's favorite Disney reality show stars, Austin Moon and Ally Dawson! How long will it be before the chemistry between the characters reignites the chemistry between the actors?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: In this story, Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir has been turned into a live action movie to be played by none other than Ally Dawson and Austin Moon! (For this story, Austin & Ally is taken as Disney's first semi-scripted reality show which was still wildly successful due to the chemistry between the actors Austin and Ally). This is my second fanfic, first for these shows, so please be easy on me! These are only the first two chapters, so stay tuned to see how this plays out! If you like it, please let me know!

* * *

Chapter One - Austin's Reservations

"I just think they are asking too much from me, that's all I'm saying!"

Dez rolled his eyes at the whiny complaints of his best friend. Austin had been coming up with excuses for over an hour about why it was too hard to continue his movie. Rubbing his forehead with his palm, Dez interrupted his friend's rant. "Austin, chill!" He heard the intake of Austin's breath and kept going before the rant started up again. "You are there to do a JOB. Plain and simple. Once upon a time, she was your friend, someone who made you laugh, who you wanted to be with every single day." Dez sighed, "Remember how devastated you were on the last day of A&A? How we all felt? Do you think that kind of thing vanishes? Because, it doesn't."

Austin paced across his hotel room, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Kira is seriously pissed though. I accepted the role, but with the various forms of training I'm hardly around and we haven't even started filming yet!"

"She's not pissed about that, dude," Dez happily accepted a glass of ice water from his girlfriend appreciating her knowing and understanding smile. "When you guys got together, she got slammed, from every angle. It was a nightmare for her, and I'm sure she is waiting for all the shippers to come racing out of the woodwork again."

"We weren't ever together!" Austin raised his voice more than he needed to, knowing that while that was technically the truth, there had been reasons other than feelings that had kept them apart. "I love Kira, she has nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure, buddy?" Inhaling he knew that he was going to push buttons, but someone had to, "You picked Kira, yes, and she's good people, I have nothing but love for her, but your connection with Ally was something else entirely. It's the sole reason our show was so successful."

Austin banged his head on a wall, "That was _acting!_ We were _paid_ to be a couple _on screen_!"

"Yeah, no," Dez snickered, "honestly, none of us were that good, we both know it, and the girls know it. Well maybe not Trish, but she's actually funny." Thinking of Trish made him smile, she would be losing her shit over this conversation. "You and Ally are undeniable. That chemistry is not something that can be taught, and a part of you knows that. Like I said, it's what put A&A on the map, and from what I read that's what is putting this Miraculous thing into full on fandom. The main characters connect the way you do, hence why you guys have the parts."

Groaning, Austin pushed away from the wall. It had been the same thing his agent had said. All along he had planned to concentrate on his music, but roles kept popping up. This one wasn't even on his radar when he got the call and he was cast so quickly it seemed to be fated in some way. His only reading had been with Ally, and although they had to read in two different scenes, the director had all but hugged them at the end. The chemistry was still there, even if her easy affection for him wasn't. "I'm still going to talk to the director. If they want me that bad maybe there is room for a change."

"Sure, a great way to get back into someone's life is getting them fired." Dez wanted nothing more than to be on the same coast as Austin, close enough to shake him at that moment. "Maybe you should talk to Ally instead. It's a healthier first step."

"Alright, man, I'll think about it," Austin's tone was dismissive as he checked the director's schedule for the day, "give my love to your girl and the fam. Thanks for listening."

"Thanks for at least pretending to listen to me," chuckling Dez shook his head, "good luck out there!"

The call was disconnected before Austin could follow up with a response. He considered Dez's point about talking to Ally, but shook his head quickly. All their interactions had been either professional or awkwardly quiet. Except their audition. When they stepped into the characters, the old feelings drifted easily back in, her quick blush and clumsy giggle, his inherent shyness and desire for polite distance. He knew in his heart these characters were practically written for them, but that didn't make being around her any easier or his girlfriend's constant worrying easier to deal with.

Sighing for what seemed to be the hundredth time in a week, Austin slid on his shoes and headed out his hotel for the director's office, hoping his concerns would not fall on deaf ears.

"Austin!" The big man motioned to the chairs in front of his desk, "what can I do for you?"

"Hi, Mr. Swartz, I, uh," Austin sat perching awkwardly at the end of the seat, "could I discuss something, between you and me?" He fidgeted with the frayed portion of his jeans waiting for an answer.

"Sure, young man," Swartz's big voice was calm although his eyes had narrowed slightly, "what can I help you with?"

Mouth slightly dry, Austin tried to swallow before speaking. "Mr. Swartz, I, uh, have some concerns about my costar." He had said it aloud and now felt like a jerk. "It's just, um, we have a history, and I…"

"Of course you have a history!" Swartz was shaking his head as if hearing the most obvious statement of his life. "You two had one of the most plausible on screen relationships of your generation, and it was on a Disney show for shit sakes!"

A slight blush crept up Austin's neck. "Well sir, we never actually dated or anything, but there were still some odd terms. I think it is affecting my ability to be in character and I was wondering…"

"Let me stop you for a second, son," Mr. Swartz had teenagers and young adults of his own, and he could smell unnecessary drama from a mile away. "You have seen the show, right? Ladybug and Cat Noir, or however they say it in French." Austin nodded without interrupting. "Close your eyes, Austin," he waited a beat for the boy to close his eyes, "picture what you know of Marinette in your mind, now get rid of the CGI character and replace it with a real person. Who do you see?"

He knew the answer before Mr. Swartz could finish the sentence. "Ally." He didn't need to say anything else, because he knew it was right, deep down in the depths of his heart, he knew no one else could be Marinette.

"Right, Ally." Mr. Swartz sat his elbows on his desk. "We had hesitations about her as the other side of the coin, the Ladybug side, but she is working like hell to prove us wrong there. In fact, she is in training right now, because as you know, she is determined to do all her own stunts. She might be tiny, but she sure is fierce."

Austin nodded. He had overheard other members of the training staff talking about their uncertainties regarding her ability to be a superhero. He had some of the same reservations, given her primary personality traits were surrounded around words that could also describe rainbows and unicorns. He snapped his attention back to Mr. Swartz, realizing too late that the director had continued his train of thought without Austin on board.

"Casting the two of you combines two, what do you kids call it? Fan kingdoms?" Mr. Swartz waited for Austin to correct him.

"Fandoms, sir, they are called fandoms."

"Right, fandoms." Mr. Swartz slightly rolled his eyes as he continued, "You and Ally have your own following after the success of Austin & Ally, one that seemingly hasn't died down over the past 4 years, and the following for Miraculous is even larger than that. The common factor being lead characters who have unmistakable chemistry, something that can be scripted but that isn't felt by the audience unless it is _really there_ between the actors. Bringing you two in to play these roles is going to cause an explosion in the fandoms and give you your biggest career credit to date. Do you want to throw that all away because at some point in your adolescent years, you failed to get the girl?"

The blush fully covered his face now as he peered down at his hands. He had a similar feeling in his stomach as he had as a kid when he was caught stealing cookies before dinner. He wasn't super fond of being in trouble, or of the painstaking way older adults looked at him when he was. "No, sir, I understand how foolish that would be."

"Good." Grabbing a pad of paper and a pen, Mr. Swartz touched a few places on his computer before making a jot on the pad. Ripping off the top page, he slipped it across the desk to Austin. "Why don't you make your way over to this address? See if it brings about any changes in the mountain of worries you are building for yourself. My door is always open, Austin."

He knew when he was being dismissed and stood, reaching out to shake the older man's hand before picking up the paper. "Thank you. I'll try to get my head out of the clouds."

"See that you do. This is an important project, one that was labored on by many people, characters and stories that are loved by people all over the world. Getting this role should feel like an honor, not a burden." Mr. Swartz spoke calmly, and Austin took in every word as he nodded his goodbye and walked out of the door headed for an address with no business name attached.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

She heard the voice boom from the other side of the large room. His figure looked small from where she stood, causing the level of anxiety to rise in her throat. Chase, her trainer, was a very large man who was not known for smiling, and his currently small appearance was a painful reminder of just how far she needed to make it. Taking a deep breath, she pulled into her stance.

"Alright, remember, let the magnet catch before you pull to swing and don't release it until you land. I'll count you down to three and then you're off."

Ally gripped her line tightly. She had fallen so much over the last two weeks that she had begun to wonder if there was enough makeup in the budget to cover all her bruises. Today there were no safety wires, just her and her "magic" yo-yo. The magnet parading as a yo-yo was heavy in her hand, while the wire that was supposed to support her weight was ominously light. Beating down the doubts in her brain, she looked at the metal pole above her head and the wooden platform waiting for her landing. As she prepared for her leap, she practiced the stance, the facial expressions, and the lines knowing that soon all three would have to be perfected.

"One! Two! Three!" Chase clapped on the last number, more out of nerves for his young trainee than actual need.

She took off, throwing the magnet hard at the metal post hearing the clank as it latched on. Breathing in, she swung letting her weight carry her to the next platform and landing softly the way she had been taught to do. Without looking back, she pressed the button in her hand which released the magnet and coiled it back to her. Taking another deep breath, she threw the magnet again, waiting to swing until she heard the familiar clank.

Six times she repeated the process, only pausing briefly at each platform. At the seventh platform, she landed neatly next to her trainer snapping her magnet back into her hand and standing into a very Ladybug-like pose.

From where he stood at the entrance to the warehouse, Austin could almost feel his jaw hitting the floor. Goofy, sweet Ally had just leaped from platform to platform making it look as easy as skipping across the street. As she stood on the last platform, it hit him that anyone who had doubted her was an idiot. There was no one better to play Marinette, but she was also Ladybug and apparently Ally was perfect for that too. He suddenly felt very dispensable and found himself wondering if Cat Noir ever had the same feeling.

"I did it!" Losing her pose, Ally did a little happy dance on the high platform. Before thinking, she threw her arms around her grumpy trainer, hugging him in appreciation.

To her surprise, Chase chuckled and patted her back. "You did good, kiddo." He pulled her back to look at him. "I can't wait to see you wipe the smirk off everyone's faces in a few weeks!"

Ally laughed, her characteristic silly laugh that seemed to take over her full body. It felt so good to finally prove to someone that she could be all of this roll, not just one half of it.

From his position on the ground, Austin watched as Ally's sincerity broke through the tough exterior of their ruthless trainer. Austin had never seen Chase smile, but quickly knew that it was part of who Ally was, who she had always been. Smiles tended to follow her everywhere. _That is the type of thinking that is going to get you into trouble_ , he scolded himself shaking his head. His focus returned to the ramp as he saw Ally drop down into the stance that they had both been practicing since day one.

"Alright, Ms. Ladybug, are you ready to tumble?" Chase was squatting next to her so she could see him while in full stance. "From here, I want you to leap to platform 5, skipping 6 and then roll off onto the side onto the mats. It doesn't have to be pretty, but when you hit the ground roll like I taught you and get up on your feet. Got it?"

Her focus shifted from platform 5 to the metal beams overhead. She could easily imagine the bruises coming her way.

"This is the last stunt of the day, kiddo," Chase could sense her nerves rising and was attempting to sooth her. "Once you are down, you get to stay down."

Ally nodded without speaking, mentally prepping herself for the task at hand.

"On my count," Chase put a hand on her calf, adjusting in slightly to perfect the stance. His children had been obsessed with Ladybug and Cat Noir for several years now and he was acutely aware of how important every detail would be in this movie. "One! Two! Three!" He ducked slightly to ensure that his head would not block her swinging magnet.

Austin watched as she flung herself through the air, and to his horror she missed an entire platform and went sailing off the side of the one she attempted to land on. Out of instinct he started running toward where her body was hurdling at an alarming rate.

The ground was coming fast, but Ally was prepared for it. Her feet hit the mat first, with her momentum driving her forward, she executed a somersault and came up on her feet, just as another body slammed against hers. "Owwww! What in the name of chocolate frogs?!" She was trying to untangle herself from the second body who was sputtering apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Ally!" Austin tried to untangle himself and found his hand pressed firmly under her butt causing an immediate blush to rise on his face. "I thought you were falling!" He tried to move, stumbling a little and accidentally pinning her to the mat, with his face dangerously close to hers.

She froze. It had been four years since he was this close to her and although he had aged, his facial features remained the same. Dangerous memories of purposefully messed up kissing takes, and secret practice sessions involuntarily flooded into her mind. Snapping herself out of it, she put her hand on his face. "Cat Noir, now is not the time for laying around!" She prayed the joke would cover some of the awkwardness that was quickly building.

Austin sprang up, realizing how long he had allowed himself to stare at her. Following her lead, he bowed as soon as he was on his feet, "but m'lady, why would I want to be anywhere but laying with you?" Yikes, that was more overt than his character would be and he knew it. Blushing hard, he reached down to pull her into a standing position.

"Well, this is awkward," Ally announced to no one in particular as Chase had yet to leave his platform. She did not miss the amused smile on the trainer's face. "What are you doing here, Austin? You have a stunt double." It wasn't _really_ meant as a dig, but she also didn't bother to clarify. His attitude toward her in the past two weeks didn't warrant any more than professional niceties.

Austin scratched the back of his head, making Ally smirk at the motion he had clearly picked up on from his Adrien/Cat Noir persona. "Um, Swartz told me to come here, so I did." He noticed the slight flinch in her eyes but she didn't speak. "I guess he wanted me to be aware of just how hard you are working. Maybe he thinks I'm slacking." It sounded plausible, even though he knew she could see right through him.

"You would have had it if you're knuckle head partner hadn't come running in to save the day." Although he was no longer smiling, there was humor in Chase's voice. "It is uncanny how well you fit these characters. My kids are going to be impressed, I believe." Austin had never seen Chase act so personable and noted once again the Ally effect. She really was a perfect Ladybug. "You," Chase pointed at Ally, "good job today, but now into a hot bath and lots of rest. Tomorrow you start shooting as Marinette and it wouldn't do for you to be stiff when you have to spend all that time falling on your face!"

Laughing, Ally walked to a small bench and grabbed her water bottle. "I swear, character improvising for Marinette has left me with more bruises than battle training! And Ladybug fights with a yo-yo!"

Austin let himself laugh at her joke. It was true, her part as Ladybug was physical, but Marinette was boarding on slap-stick comedy with the way she flung herself around. If one thing was for sure, Ally was going to be very, very exhausted over the upcoming weeks.

"You coming, kid?" Chase was standing by the door looking at him curiously. "I can't lock up until we're all out."

"Sorry, yeah, I'm coming." Austin walked out of the door and watched Ally slip into her car. Slipping back into his own, he headed for the hotel. He took a longer route, wanting to let her arrive first and get inside. He had enough thoughts rattling in his brain, he needed to put space between them before filming tomorrow or his head would never be in the right place. He had a duty to this movie, and to all the fans who had been waiting on baited breath for it to be made, and he was going to do right by all of them, no matter how hard it was on his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

Alya played by Stacey

Adrien/Cat Noir played by Austin

Marinette/Ladybug played by Ally

Let me know if any of it is confusing!

* * *

Chapter 2 - First scene of Marinette and Adrien

"Ohh, girl! Adrien is coming!" Alya nudged Marinette as they sat on the front steps of the school set. "This time, try to say something, maybe something closer to _hi_."

In full blue black hair and still adjusting to the bright blue contacts, Ally as Marinette, ducked her body behind Alya's. "Did he see me?" she squeaked, sliding slightly on the stairs and dropping her bag off her shoulder. The contents of her bag scattered down the stairs.

"If he didn't, he does now, clumsy!" Alya giggled and waved her hand as Marinette blushed. "I see Nino, you're on your own girl!" She swung up to catch her boyfriend's arm leaving Marinette crouching like an awkward cat on the stairs, starring in horror as Adrien approached.

"Well, this is one way to organize your stuff!" Adrien said cheerfully, "want some help picking it up?"

"Uh, um, sure, I mean, if you aren't, uh, busy," Marinette stammered, clearing her throat, "I'd be happy to see you bend over, I, uh, mean," she squeaked again unable to find the words to correct herself.

Smiling, Adrien began collecting things, starting slightly when Marinette's purse appeared to wiggle in his hand. "Wow! Are you sneaking a pet into school, Marinette?" He looked from the purse to her face and back again, trying to decide if he had really felt it move.

"No, of course not!" Marinette made a hasty grab at her purse, causing her to instead wrap her hand around Adrien's. She stared down at her hand, horrified, unable to let go despite her rapidly growing embarrassment.

Adrien's free hand retreated to the back of his neck, scratching at his hair line as his cheeks turned pink. "Ha ha, uh, well, maybe I was imagining it, or something, ha." Their hands were still layered together over the purse when it wiggled again. Adrien looked up to see the panic across Marinette's face. "Hey, don't worry, I won't tell anyone! What is it, a hamster or something?"

"Um, yeah, something like that," Marinette finally pulled her hand back enough to remove the purse from Adrien's grasp as she heard a very distinct, very offended "huff!" come from Tikki in her hiding place. She grabbed all her things off the ground as quickly as she could and stood, running toward the school. "See you in class! Thanks for the help!"

Adrien stood on the steps staring after her, his mind clearly racing with his brow furrowed. "That was more than a little strange, the way your girlfriend was acting," Plagg piped up from his pocket.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Adrien said, with so little conviction he was glad no one else was around to hear it. "Do you think…." he trailed off, waiting for Plagg's input.

"Nah uh," came a voice from inside his jacket, "I'm not getting in to this right now! You have to feed me first!"

Little animatronic hands snatched the cheese from Adrien's fingers as he made his way up the stairs. "You're not off the hook, Plagg! This conversation will happen after school!" With that Adrien disappeared into the school.

At the corner of the stairs, where no one noticed him at all, there was an elderly man watching as the teenagers interacted. The green tennis ball floating next to him as the stand in for his CGI kwami spoke through his voice in, "Master, I believe it is time you help those two identify themselves. That much built up hidden love is bound to spill over, and uncontrolled it could be an ugly sight."

The older actor nodded without speaking and slowly walked out of the frame.

* * *

"Cut!" Swartz's voice boomed across the sound stage, "reset and let's go again for angles!" He watched as his leads walked out of the fake school front. "Excellent work, you two! I could feel the electricity!"

Austin in Adrien's clothes was still slightly reeling from the scene. It was surreal to be on such a large scale movie set, and even more surreal that for a moment he had completely lost himself in the scene. When Ally had touched his hand, he hadn't needed any acting guidance to produce the blush on his cheeks, it had appeared naturally without prompting. He glanced sideways, admiring how cute she looked dressed up in the blue hair. The blue eyes were unsettling, as Ally's warm colored eyes had always been a place of comfort for him, but the blue eyes certainly brought the character to life.

Stacey, who was playing Alya, clapped Ally on the back as she came down the stairs. "Can I say, I want like 50% of the heat that you two have, hell, I would settle for 10%! Is it always like that with you two? We're all going to need cold showers once we get to the kissing scenes!"

Ally chocked on her water, praying that Austin wasn't paying attention to Stacey. "We're acting, Stace, the characters feel that way about each other, and it's a big part of what makes their story so fascinating and wonderful."

Stacey's raised eyebrows let Ally know that her story was not being bought. "You know I don't believe a word of that bull, right? Because seriously, the way you two look at each other, no one is that good at this job." She took her place back on the stairs with Ally sitting next to her, carefully placing her bags on their marks.

"We have known each other a long time, it is different for us, I guess." Even Ally could hear the lack of conviction in her voice. Such a simple scene, and yet there were so many emotions already dancing inside of her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Time to get a peak into Ally's mind, since we got to see into Austin's when the story started.

* * *

Twelve hours, 16 falls, and more takes than her tired brain could comprehend, the first full day of filming was finally completed. Considering the amount of time she spent leaping behind benches and running into open lockers, she should have been completely physically wiped out, instead it was her emotions that felt drained and pushed to the breaking point. Ally filled her hotel tub with insanely hot water and slid in, her thoughts still reeling.

Her head and heart felt bruised after spending an entire day playing a character hopelessly in love with a boy who was clueless. According to the storyline, Adrien was actually in love with Marinette but was scripted as reserved with his emotions whereas Marinette was a blushing goofball. It was like Ally's and Austin's personalities on steroids. Ally stretched her arms in the water remembering the way her heart raced with every awkward interaction. The words and the actions were all scripted, but her heart had been reacting in a very real way.

 _It was so stupid, after four years all of this should be gone_ , she criticized herself. Austin wanted someone who would support his music career and go wherever he went. She wasn't that girl four years ago. Heck, she wasn't that girl now. She took a deep breath and put her head under the water of the tub. _Why couldn't she just let go of him completely?!_

The sound of her phone playing "Redial" startled her out of her downward spiral and brought her back above the water's surface. Flipping it open, she smiled seeing Trish's name on the screen. "Trishypoo," she giggled using Trish's least favorite Chuck created nick name, "what on earth are you doing up so late?"

"Ugh! Don't call me that or I'm hanging up!" Trish rolled her eyes, stupid Chuck and his stupid nicknames. "I have a project due in a few days and I have been up trying to edit. _Soooo_ , how was the day?"

Ally recognized Trish's tone, "It was dandy," Ally lied through her teeth, "we got all of the shots on the list completed even though it took 12 hours."

"Yes, that's what I want to hear about, all the technical details," the sarcasm dripped from Trish's voice.

Smirking, Ally planned to dodge the details for as long as possible, "I know Miss Director-to-be, I figured this information was absolutely necessary and the only reason for your phone call." Ally laughed out loud when Trish groaned into the phone.

"Ally! Get on with it! How was it acting with Austin again? Did your heart do that funky flutter thing you always talked about?"

Mentally kicking herself for every telling Trish about that feeling, Ally sighed before answering. "It felt like we were right back on the A&A set. They have us doing all the Marinette/Adrien scenes right now, which means a lot of implied attraction, hand grazing and blushing. I almost wish we had started with the Ladybug stunts, those are easier!" The door was open now for Trish comments, but she didn't care, it felt good to get some of the thoughts out of her head.

"You would rather throw yourself off of fake buildings than act like you are in love? Sounds… unreasonable," Trish could clearly imagine Ally's facial expression at that moment, "unless you are in love and he happens to be your costar."

"Ughhhhh," Ally put her forehead in her available hand, "why, Trish? Why can't I get passed this? This is why I didn't talk to him after we wrapped! It's like as soon as he is in front of me I'm done for."

Trish had a sympathetic smile for her best friend, even if Ally couldn't see it. "I really want to be there to see all of this emotional turmoil in person. Maybe I'll book a flight. I have to be out that way next week anyway."

Ally laughed. Trish had a wonderful way of being supportive and making her laugh at herself at the same time. "My crazy will be on full display for your amusement! But, seriously, I would love if you came here. I have a suite to myself, so you wouldn't need to get a hotel room!" The more she talked, the more excited she became about the idea. "And maybe you can talk to Austin and see what is going on in his head." Her words sped up as she tried to get all her thoughts out at once, "if he is feeling weird too, maybe he still has feelings that he isn't talking about, maybe there is way more going on here than I realize and I'm blinded by my own confusion. Trish you have to come!" Ally had decided in her seconds of rambling that Trish was exactly who she needed to help her sort all this mess out.

"Wow! Ally slow down!" Trish shook her head. Ally's words always became a jumbled mess when she was anxious or excited. "I'll start looking at flights, you send me your shooting schedule. What about Dez? Where is he right now?"

"He's in New York, rehearsals start next week for his play." Ally had a sense of pride talking about Dez's success. He was going to be so amazing on the stage and she couldn't wait to see him perform. The other half of her missed her other best friend. Dez was the purest form of friend, loyal and wonderful almost to a fault. A thought crossed her mind, "Have you talked to Dez? I wonder if Austin has talked to him." Her voice trailed off as she chewed her bottom lip and brushed away a stray hair that fell onto her forehead. Trish paused, long enough for Ally to notice. "Trish? Has he talked to Dez?" She sat up in the tub fully aware that her best friend wasn't responding.

"Well…" there was no way Trish would tell Ally about Austin visiting their director potentially in an effort to get Ally fired from the movie. She still didn't believe he had actually gone through with it, even though Dez seemed pretty concerned about it. Luckily shooting had started and Austin and Ally were both still in their roles, so it seemed that even if Austin had been dumb enough to try to get rid of Ally, he hadn't been successful.

"Trish!" Ally was working herself up to a panic attack over Trish's silence. "What is it?!"

"Sorry," Trish picked her words carefully, "I know they have talked, but I know it was mostly about Austin feeling overwhelmed." Pausing again, she glanced at the texts she had received from Dez before going on, "I know Kira is pretty upset as well. I guess she thinks people are going to start going after her online again."

Relaxing her shoulders, Ally sat back in the tub. Of course Kira was upset, people were horrible to her, especially online. Personally, she had nothing against Kira. They didn't have much in common but she wasn't a bad person and Ally could certainly understand being in love with Austin. Kira never spoke much to Ally even when Austin's sister tried to force a friendship between them, but Ally could understand that too. No matter how much they claimed they were acting, there was always a piece of reality that leaked into their A&A performance. Ally pulled herself back to what Trish was saying in her ear.

"I bet there is a part of Austin that feels the spark again. It's undeniable, although you two are really good at denying it, ya jerks," Trish was unaware that Ally had temporarily checked out of their conversation. "I know Dez thinks you two are full of it, just like I do."

"Wait, what?" Ally crinkled her nose, "did you call me a jerk?" She heard Trish snicker. "You did! Hey! What am I supposed to do here? Austin is with Kira _in real life_ and for the next eight to nine weeks he and I have to play at being in love. It's like the last season of A &A all over again! Why did I get myself into this?" Splashing her free hand in the water, she let the reality of the situation fully hit her.

"Cause you're a jerk!" Trish tried to bring the humor back to the conversation and felt relief when Ally chuckled. "You know what, I'm coming. I'm going to be there as soon as I can get there. I'll get this project edited and then be on the next flight out. Just promise me that you won't drown yourself, _literally or figuratively_ , until I get there!"

"Okay, I promise, _ya jerk_ , "Ally laughed, this time more genuinely, "let me know when you are going to get here and I'll try to duck out and get you myself. I'm so happy that I'm going to see your face!" She all but squealed the last two words.

"I'll let you know as soon as I know! See you soon!" Trish clicked the call off and quickly opened her text message to Dez. Typing quickly she let him know exactly what was going on and telling him to get his butt on a plane to California as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The gang is coming back together! Just in time to watch Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Cat Noir reveal their identities!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Dez and Trish have arrived just in time to watch the unfolding of the reveal scene of the movie.**

 **Please let me know what you think of this so far! Thank you!**

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"Ok, kids, we have to shoot this scene at least twice," Swartz was jostling around the Master Fu apartment set waving his hands at people as he talked to his stars. "We are shooting this scene first as Marinette and Adrien, post transformation. When you suit up, we'll reshoot the beginning of the scene in costume and movie magic the whole thing together." He grabbed a lighting tech redirecting the poor guy to a new position just off the set. "I know you're tired, but that's why we left this scene until now. You're beaten up, the Nanny has been rampaging through Paris, and Ladybug and Cat Noir have been out of sync for the entire battle. You've escaped back to Master Fu's where you have been training, but you are about to transform."

"Mr. Swartz?" Austin said wearily, "we know the scene, you've made us read it through more than any other scene." He looked to Ally for support, seeing the exhaustion in her eyes and instantly feeling guilty for causing even a small a delay in the shoot. They had worked through almost all of the originally scripted pre-reveal Marinette and Adrien scenes in the last few days and she had been training with Chase during her off hours. He was tired, but he knew it was worse for her. Austin smiled sheepishly at her, trying to apologize without saying the words.

"Austin!" Swartz snapped his fingers in front of Austin's face, frustration seething from his voice. "This is the reveal scene!" Flabbergasted, Swartz marched in a small circle, "it has to be right! No room for error! This is the moment when the masks come off and our heroes are two teenage kids, who have been in love with each other in one way or another for three years. Fans will come back to this movie, _for this scene_." Swartz wheeled around to face Ally. "Ladybug's confidence crashes into Marinette's awkwardness and she has to reconcile both parts of herself and her feelings for Cat and Adrien." Turning back onto Austin, "and you! Cat's flirtatiousness and Adrien's reserved nature create conflict in the character, while Cat's intense love for Ladybug and Adrien's shy love for Marinette explode in him like fireworks! Make it happen, you two!" Swartz was yelling out of nerves and excitement. This scene would make or break the movie, and everyone on set knew it.

"Can I just," Ally glanced around, "can I have five minutes? Just while they are setting the lights."

Swartz smacked his face with his hand and let it slide off slowly. "Just go," he dramatically pointed off stage. "Five minutes, Ms. Dawson!" he yelled at her retreating back.

Austin strolled over to his friends who were waiting to watch the scene unfold. Trish had arrived two nights ago, immediately taking up space in Ally's suite, and Dez had gotten in the night before, bunking in Austin's suite. Austin was secretly glad that Kira had left giving him some time to be part of his favorite fearsome foursome again. The four of them together had felt like old times and made life on set a thousand times more bearable. "Aren't you guys getting bored?" Austin laughed when his two best friends rolled their eyes.

"This set is incredible!" Dez spun in a circle looking at the large sound stage which encompassed the school, Master's Fu's loft, Marinette's house, and Adrien's house. Taking it all in at once was overwhelming. "I can't imagine the time it would take to create all of this!"

"I can get you a meeting with the head stage crafter if you would like," Austin looked around sure that Arnie was around there somewhere. Arnie was obsessed with the Miraculous world and had studied, drawn, and crafted every detail of the sets. From what Austin had heard, Arnie had flown to Paris months ago to scope out streets that they would use while filming on scene in two weeks.

Dez went to say something, when he was interrupted by a sharp elbow and an even sharper look from Trish. "Wha…?" he grimaced, rubbing his side.

"Dez will talk to the stage guy later, Austin," she waved an unsubtle hand toward the set, "we both want to see this scene filmed, _right Dez_?" He was lucky that all Trish did was elbow him, she wanted to strangle him. This was the first scene that would cause Ally and Austin to kiss, and was one of the most emotional scenes according to Ally, neither of them was going to miss this.

Elbowing Trish back for good measure, he grinned, "oh right, the big kissing scene," he made kissing noises in Austin's direction, "ready to pucker up, buddy?"

Austin blushed a deep red and Trish made strangling motions behind Dez's back. "We're acting, Dez, it is no big deal," Austin knew the lie and hoped they wouldn't hear it.

"Acting, suuuureeeee," Dez winked at him and slowly nodded in an absurdly comical manner.

Trish was actually going to kill him. Stacey and Tim, who were playing Alya and Nino, walked up to their threesome, effectively saving Dez's life. "Hey, party people, why did Ally run off?" Stacey rested her hip against Tim, letting his arm stay draped around her shoulders. Apparently cast romance was in the air.

"I don't know, but do you want to go with me to find out?" Trish liked Stacey. If she had to watch her BFF act like someone else's BFF, she was glad it was Stacey.

Stacey bumped her hip away from Tim, kissing his check when he pouted, "I'm in, let's go check on our girl." She linked arms with Trish and they bee lined it to Ally's dressing area.

Tim watched them go, turning to look at the other two boys, "girls are weird, right?" He smirked when they both laughed.

Austin fiddled with the tear in his Adrien jacket. He was still confused as to why his Adrien clothes were ripped apart when he was beaten up before this scene as Cat Noir, but he didn't question Swartz, at least not out loud.

Dez watched Austin fidget, knowing that his best friend's nervous habits were telling way more than Austin was saying. "It's been five minutes and your director looks like he is going to lose his mind." All three guys laughed as Swartz moved wildly around the set, flailing his arms.

"I'm heading back," Austin looked around seeing Ally appear back on the set, "wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Dez sang his words because he thought it added a special emphasis. Trish smacked his arm as she came up behind him. Turning to look at her Dez narrowed his eyes and pointed at her face, "you love my singing, Trishkabob!" He dodged Trish's next swing. "Excuse me, but you are distracting me from the scene!" Dez spun in a circle, facing the stage with a goofy grin on his face, "this is about to get very interesting!"

"Quiet on set!" Swartz yelled, and the observers all took a deep breath in unison. The lights dimmed, highlighting the set in reds and blues.

* * *

 **Stay Tuned! The big scene is up next!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go!**

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Standing in the middle of the room, cradling her to his chest, Cat Noir heard the distinct sound of his final warning from his ring. The struggle of wanting to keep his identity secret and not wanting to let her go was revealed through the crinkle in his brow and the tears in his eyes.

Hearing the final beep in her ear, she squeezed herself closer to him keeping her eyes shut. Their fight had been a losing one and they had escaped to the only neutral location in their lives, the training room at Master Fu's loft. Her breath quickened, the apprehension growing in her body as she braced for the transformation.

Lights flickered on the set, Adrien looked around not wanting to close his eyes. She began to struggle slightly against him, but he held on. "Please don't," he whispered, leaning into her disheveled twin tails.

"I," Marinette tensed, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.

Adrien set her down, but put his arms around her waist trying to prevent her from running. He was nervous, staring down at her, the love written all over his face as he smiled at her tightly shut eyes. He glanced at his feet looking at his shoes wear the black leather boots should have been. Without thinking, he put his hands on her face.

Marinette shifted her body, appearing as if she was going to run, gasping slightly as her transformation began and his hands touched her face. She tipped her face up without opening her eyes.

He ran his fingers over where her mask would be, brushing a stray hair away anticipation building as the transformation would be disappearing. Seconds away from seeing her beautiful face without the mask, he leaned in and kissed her.

An involuntary sigh escaped her lips, and she eased into the kiss, gently wrapping her arms around his waist. It felt familiar and new, comforting and exhilarating. Ally wasn't sure which part was Marinette and which part was her, but all of her felt disappointed when he pulled away.

His fingers fluttered over her face, shock written all over his. "Marinette?" His face split into a grin so wide that the glow from it seemed to brighten the room.

With her eyes closed, she seemed to recognize his voice. Still refusing to open them, she took a visible deep breath. "You know who I am?" She didn't step away from his touch, but her internal struggle showed through her bravado.

"Of course I know you," he was still smiling, moving closer to her face, touching each bruise and scrap gently. "I feel like I have known you my whole life, like you were meant for me," he paused but pushed on, "in both of my lives. Look at me, Marinette, please?" he whispered the last part, hoping that it wasn't too quiet for the microphone.

Her hands tightened slightly on his waist, placing her trust in him as she had done with Cat Noir for three years. Another sigh escaped her as she opened her eyes. Her blue eyes met his green eyes, and she stumbled slightly her knees going weak. "Adrien?" she had no idea if the word would be loud enough, but she was caught up in the moment.

Without waiting for her to object, he kissed her, as Adrien kissing Marinette. Their faces and bodies were bruised and beaten, but the love sparked between them. The coloring changed in the room to reflect the feelings between the boy and girl standing in the middle of it, quietly devouring each other's lips.

When she pulled away, Adrien made a sad noise feeling her leave his arms. "What's wrong?" He followed her to the other side of the room, sitting next to her where she had slumped against the wall.

"I can't believe it's you," Marinette winced as she leaned against him, holding a hand to her side.

"Disappointed?" He slid an arm around her, eager to make sure she couldn't run from him.

"No! What? Why would you say that?" Marinette sat up so fast, she doubled over from the pain. Leaving the battle abruptly meant she had called for her lucky charm but never had a chance to use it, she glanced at it laying abandoned in the middle of the room. It also meant none of their injuries had been healed. "Adrien, I have loved you, both sides of you, for years," she blushed hard and looked down. "I mean, I, uh," the Ladybug confidence disappeared as the Marinette shyness crept in.

"Me too," Adrien blushed but rubbed her arm with his hand, "I mean, you know I loved you as Ladybug, that was really never subtle, but I did as Adrien too, both sides of you." He lopsidedly smiled at her when she looked up. Pausing for only a moment, he kissed her again, both of them smiling into the kiss.

"Alright, alright, you know who you are," animatronic Plagg floated up next to Adrien's face, "now could you feed me? There is still a nap-crazed maniac turning people into babies running around Paris like a nutty Mary Poppins, remember?"

"Aww Plagg," animatronic Tikki scolded, pushing the black kwami, "give them a minute, they earned it!"

"They're right you know," Marinette took out a cookie from the small container on the shelf next her and handed it to Tikki as Adrien pulled out cheese from his pocket and nearly had his fingers bitten off by Plagg. "Eat up you two, we have an akuma to catch! Let's strategize while they fuel up." Marinette twisted to face Adrien, returning his raised eyebrow.

"I propose kissing first, then strategizing, Plagg eats really slow," Adrien scooted closer to her again, putting his hand on her cheek.

"Hmmm, your Cat side is showing," Marinette teased, relaxing her shoulders and tipping her face upwards.

Both laughing, they kissed, the love in the kiss once again illuminating the room.

To the side of the set, tears, sighs and a few "hot damns" escaped from the mouths of the crew and the other cast members. Trish nudged Dez, both friends exchanged a knowing look.

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 **How can there not be some fall out from a scene full of kissing?**


	6. Chapter 6

Ally tossed her towel over the shower bar letting her wet hair hang loose as she pulled on her softest sweat pants and t-shirt. After the big reveal scene, Swartz had wrapped them for the day claiming he wanted to savor the emotion. She smirked to herself as she brushed her hair thinking about the high level of sappiness leaking into the set following the scene. Touching her lips, she could still feel the sensation lingering. The cut call for the scene was called multiple times before they had heard it break through, and she knew as soon as she walked out of the bathroom Trish was going to pounce. Her stomach growled and she resigned to the fact that eating was more important than avoiding a round of twenty questions with Trish.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Trish jumped off the bed when Ally walked out causing Ally to startle and fall to the floor. Laughing, Trish tried to pull Ally off the floor but Ally was too quick, pulling Trish down next to her. Grabbing Ally's shaking shoulders, Trish shook her slightly. "Excuse me! Spill, lady! Those kisses were _sooooo_ intense. I mean, I was actually blushing watching you two. It's even worse than it used to be!"

Ally rolled onto her belly and groaned into her arms. "It is really strange to be intimate in front of everyone like that." More embarrassingly, they had practically made out for a solid five minutes after the scene was over and didn't even realize it. Ally's face was bright red when she turned to face Trish.

"You are going to start a fire with all that heat on your face, Ally," Trish was teasing her but couldn't hide her nervous excitement. "He felt that, you _know_ he did, you can't tell me otherwise. He jumped up and ran off the set so fast, I can tell you _exactly_ where he was feeling it."

"Trish!" She didn't think she could blush more than she already was, but as usual Trish proved her wrong. "I can't think about that. Because…"

Rolling her eyes, Trish shoved Ally's arm, "don't be prude, it was hot and you both were into it."

"I was going to say, _because of Kira_ ," Ally chewed on her bottom lip, the reality setting in very quickly. Yes, they were actors. For five minutes though, she wasn't sure what they had been. Before Trish could respond the door to the suite swung open.

"Pizza!" Dez called, spinning into the room as he sang the word. "What _are_ you two doing?" He jokingly wiggled his finger between the two girls sprawled out on the floor.

"Ally fell down," Trish said casually getting to her feet and yanking Ally up with her.

"That sounds about right," Austin joked quietly as he sat down on the couch in the suite. He glanced at Ally registering how adorable she was with her wet hair and soft PJs. PJs he definitely recognized from their time touring in Australia promoting A&A. The blush he had felt earlier was creeping back onto his cheeks as he busied himself ripping a piece of pizza from the box.

Ally stood awkwardly twiddling her fingers together trying to decide to where to sit. Both Austin and Ally were oblivious to the conversation being conveyed through sharp looks between Trish and Dez. "Ally, sit down, you are making me nervous!" Dez took her arm and playfully shoved her on the couch. "We can't have you falling all over the place before your stunt scenes tomorrow!"

Nervous laughter escaped both people on the couch as Dez almost shoved Ally onto Austin's lap. Under the disguise of grabbing pizza, Ally shifted her body sideways providing distance between them while Trish rolled her eyes.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Austin asked the question without looking up. He wasn't sure how much resistance he had left after being reminded of the mind altering feeling he got when kissing her.

"Yeah, so what is on the schedule for tomorrow? Do we finally get to see these super suits?" Dez dramatically flopped onto an arm chair crossing his legs. Ally couldn't help but smile, he was such a loveable goof.

Ally chewed her bite before answering. "Well, you'll see the full non-tattered suits on Wednesday. Tomorrow we are filming the beginning of the reveal scene and the battle scenes surrounding it since the training room set is already lit." She didn't resist seeking a glance at Austin who met her eyes briefly immediately reverting back to staring at his pizza.

"Oh, man," Trish sat up in excitement, "so you guys have to do that whole scene again? Please tell me that's the first call for the day!" Ally glared at her best friend.

"It's not," she said defiantly hearing Dez snicker. "I guess Swartz wants us to sweat it out a little before that scene so that we are properly war torn. Although, Austin's stunt double will be on set tomorrow as well." Bryan was a really nice guy and Ally had already spent enough time in training with him to know that they would be able to pull off the needed chemistry in the battle scenes. An added plus that it was much easier to reject Bryan as Cat Noir to her Ladybug than it was to reject Austin.

Austin frowned. "I'm doing most of the stuff myself, you know." The stunt double pissed him off, even though it had originally been his decision. When he met Bryan, Austin had liked him so much he didn't want to fire him and stuck with the stunt double idea.

Touching his arm slightly, Ally wanted to reassure him that it wasn't a big deal. She froze slightly with her hand on his arm, words tumbling over themselves when she tried to speak. "Hey, Austin, no one cares that you have a stunt double. Your tour starts up right after we are finished with filming and you can't afford to be hurt for that. No one cares and no one is ever going to know."

Dez was smiling at his two friends sitting on the couch, raising an eyebrow as he watched them shift toward each other. Such idiots, he thought to himself. "Yeah, buddy, you have to have a stunt double. Your siblings would kill you if you broke your body before the tour. Besides, let Bryan deal with Ally wielding a yo-yo as a weapon. That thought gives me nightmares." They all laughed when Ally threw her pizza crust at Dez's head, missing completely. "I am _not_ picking that up, young lady." Dez used his best parent voice to mock her.

"If you must know, I happen to be very talented with my yo-yo!" Ally stood up tossing her plate on the coffee table. "I'll prove it!" She marched over to her training bag and grabbed her combat yo-yo. In all, she had 5 different yo-yos playing the part of Ladybug's famous weapon. She unwound the yo-yo in her hand and stood in front of her friends in her proper Ladybug stance.

"Um, Ally," Trish pulled her legs into her chair in partially feigned worry, "are you sure about this?" Ally wasn't known for her coordination.

"Wait!" Dez flipped over the side of his chair and peaked out over the edge at Ally. "Okay, now I'm ready!"

Ally narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow at her friends. Let them poke fun, she would show them. Winding the short string yo-yo once around her hand she began to twirl it in front of her. This was how she was taught to form the Ladybug shield. Concentrating hard, she slipped a hand into the spinning rope, letting it wrap the back of her hand and then her opposite elbow, catching the yo-yo in her opposite hand as it whipped around. Flinging her free hand out, she let the yo-yo snap straight to the side of her body. With a flick of her wrist, the yo-yo rolled back up the string and into her palm. She popped her hip, putting a sassy hand on her hip and smirked at her silence stricken friends. "See, I told you!"

"Oh… my…. Glob!" Dez jumped up from behind the chair. "You kick butt, Ally!" He danced over to her. "Show me! Show me! Can I try?"

"NO!" Austin and Trish yelled together regaining their power of speech. Ally was so in control of her motions that it had taken them off guard.

"Aw!" Dez pouted.

"I'll show you tomorrow, Dez," she chuckled when he gave her a silly hug nuzzling into her hair. "We'll be in an open field for part of the day and that will probably be the safest bet." She patted his arm and wiggled out of his grasp. "Okay, let me eat! Now that you all know how awesome I am."

"Actually, Ally," Trish swallowed her pizza, "that was really awesome. Don't sell yourself short, I can't wait to see you in action tomorrow!"

Wrapping his arms around his back and turning around while making loud kissing noises, Dez whispered, "so much action!"

"Oh, for the love of Pete!" Ally exclaimed shoving Dez.

He jumped close to her face, "who is this Pete fellow little missy, and why are we being forced to love him?" He made her giggle by tickling her sides.

"You're a doof!" Trish said, getting to her feet and tickling Dez until he turned to wrestle her instead of Ally. They fell to the floor swinging at each other and laughing like little kids.

"Dog pile!" Austin was caught up in the laughter and the memories of wrestling together as young teenagers. They used to have epic wrestling matches during long set breaks. Jumping into the wrestling match, he snagged Ally's ankle on his way down, pulling her down on top of him. His breath hitched as her body crashed into his, until she began tickling him causing him to throw his arms and legs wildly to the sides of him.

She had felt the shock in every part of her and refused to let it spoil the pure silliness of goofing off with her closest friends. Changing directions, Ally grabbed Dez's leg, flicking off his shoe and tickling the arch in his foot.

"Wah!" Dez squealed, kicking his leg making Ally shake back and forth. Trish caught on to the game and grabbed Austin's sock clad feet, tickling him hard on the bottom of his feet. The girls laughed maniacally as the boys flailed and gasped for air. "Uncle!" Dez screamed, "uncle! Call off the attack dogs!"

"Oh Ally, he just called us dogs!" Trish released Austin and went after Dez's sides in mock revenge for the insult.

Ally changed gears and dove for Austin as he tried to escape the pile. "Nah uh, I don't think so, Cat Noir!" She squeezed his side just above his hip where she knew he was the most ticklish. Ally wasn't prepared for him to grab her wrist and drag her full body over Dez and Trish, pinning her to the ground to seek his own revenge. Laughing so hard tears ran down her face, she wiggled underneath him. In that moment, it felt like the first few months of A&A when they were all friends, young and carefree and not hung up on all this other drama. Four best friends acting insane together and being totally in the moment.

The wrestling match lasted for over thirty minutes, everyone rotating who they were pursuing, until all four of them laid exhausted on the ground, resting against each other. It was so easy to find herself laying on Austin's stomach again, feeling his fingers playing with the ends of her hair, with Trish resting her head across Ally's thighs. "Seriously, Ally," Trish poked her leg, "you have been training for weeks and you still have these stick legs! We need to fatten you up!"

Trish jokingly swatted at Ally's hand when Ally squished Trish's face. "Don't tempt to me to flex my muscles and prove how strong I'm getting, wifeypoo!" Ally jumped when Trish pinched her, sticking her tongue out at her best friend.

She heard a faint click come from Dez's direction and glanced his way, watching him slip his phone back into his pocket and lay back down with his arms crossed over Trish's shins. "Your feet smell, Trishpop." Dez took an over the top whiff of Trish's feet and pretended to faint.

"Ugh, I hate you!" Trish poked his face with her toe as Dez pretended to make puking noises.

They started scuffling again, causing Ally to roll her eyes. Watching them, she became suddenly aware of how fast Austin's heart was beating. Subtly rotating her body, she found his eyes gazing down at her in a lazy way that brought back intimate memories. "Hi," she whispered scared to draw attention to them.

"Hi, yourself," Austin smiled softly at her, enjoying the familiar closeness and the softness of her hair in his fingers. Although his heart was racing, the rest of him felt at ease with her lying close to him, her fingers trailing across his forearm is small circles.

"Ahm," Trish hated to break up whatever was happening in front her of, "it is getting late and call for you two is very, very early tomorrow morning." Her heart lifted when she saw her two friends hesitate to move away from each other.

Sitting up, Ally excepted Austin's hand as he stood, pulling her with him. Unlike the other day in the warehouse, she didn't feel awkward. On instinct, she leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

Everything about her made him tingle. The smell of her shampoo invaded his nose, the smell hadn't changed in four years and he found himself grateful for this fact. He held on to her for as long as he could, letting go just before it became awkward. "I guess," he pulled back far enough to see her face, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Ally nodded, confused by what she was seeing in his eyes. "Want to ride together?" she blurted it out without thinking. "I mean, if I ride with you, Trish can have my car since we have to be in crazy early to get suited up and then they could come later to see us shoot."

Rambling when nervous was Ally's tell; something he had always found irresistibly adorable. Pushing the memory of their last car ride together far from the front of his mind, he nodded. "Sounds good. Meet you downstairs at 5?" He ran his hands down her arms, coming to rest as her wrists.

"Yup," Ally squeaked, stepping back to fiddle with her shirt hem.

"Alright, handsome, let's get you to bed!" Dez threw an arm around Austin's shoulder, dragging him to the door. By all accounts the evening had gone the best out of all their recent time together and he didn't need their awkwardness screwing it up. "I'm taking the leftover pizza, you can't feed gremlins after midnight or things get ugly," Dez pointed at Trish's face, "or should I say uglier!" He cackled as she kicked him in the butt.

"Get out, ya doof!" Trish laughed, also relieved at how much the evening had felt like old times for all of them. Like Dez, she was eager to get Austin and Ally out of each other's presence prior to them being able to mess it all up.

"Ladies!" Dez bowed deeply as they left the room as Austin gave a wave over his shoulder.

When the door closed, Trish wheeled around to Ally with a wide grin.

"Not tonight, Trish," Ally held up her hands. "I need sleep. We can overanalyze in the morning." Ally hugged her best friend and threw herself into bed.

Trish shrugged, "goodnight, Ally!"

"Goodnight, Trish," Ally felt her eyes closing, "If I haven't said it enough yet, I'm so glad you are here. I love you."

"I love you too, Ally," Trish smiled as she joined her friend in crashing into dream world.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own the characters!**

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Staring up at the ceiling, Ally didn't have to look at the clock to know how fast the night had passed in a flurry of anxiety filled dreams that never quite let her quiet down enough to truly sleep. She was supposed to meet him at five a.m. in the lobby, but she couldn't spend another sweaty minute tossing in her bed. Swinging her legs carefully out, she tiptoed through the room gathering her belongings for the day. There was no need to dress in anything spectacular as she wasn't anticipating a press presence this early in the morning. For the most part, the paparazzi had left them alone while shooting, either due to lack of interest or expert level secret keeping, neither of which mattered to her. She switched her PJ pants for sweat pants and her shirt for a sports bra that had been provided by wardrobe and a zipper up hoodie. She slid her socked feet into her comfiest pair of boots as she hooked her head phones over her ears, placing sunglasses over her eyes and a messy bun on the top of her head. Hair and makeup was going to completely transform her anyway so there was no need to worry about any of that ahead of time.

Carefully pulling the suite door closed, holding her large bag off to the side, she felt her heart hammering in her chest as her head felt woozy from lack of sleep. She lifted a heavy hand to press the elevator button noticing how quiet the hallway was at the early hour. Slumping into the elevator, she ran the scene list through her head, stretching her body to ease the tension in her muscles. The dreams had been intense. Playing Ladybug had gotten to her as she was constantly dreaming about rescuing people, especially babies, ever since the table read of today's scheduled scenes. Last night, her dream images had taken a different turn. She had spent most of the night trying to save Austin, arguing with Kira, and glowering as Trish and Dez laughed on the sidelines. Her mind was still reeling with details, trying to sort out the pieces and put them in order when the elevator doors opened to reveal the lobby. The oversized clock on the wall mocked her with the time. She was forty-five minutes early to meet Austin, but was too lazy to go back to her own room. Finding a comfy looking couch, she tossed her bag down on it, snuggling her head and shoulders back into the bag and letting herself fade into the music playing loudly in her ears.

Austin stared at the bedside clock, watching the time creep closer to five a.m. and finally pushed himself out of bed. His skin felt clammy after a night of dreams that he would not be sharing with anyone any time soon, or ever for that matter. If being near Ally wasn't tearing him up enough before, his night of terrifying and exhilarating dreams was enough to put the final nail in the coffin of his denial. He glanced at the clock again deciding he had enough time for a quick shower to shake the thoughts seeping through his brain. A cold shower seemed like the best course of action.

Nearly screeching from the cold, Austin shook his hair like a wet dog. He unceremoniously dumped soap over his head, half-heartedly scrubbing at himself. His mind wandered back to his dreams, reliving the feeling of being Cat Noir rescuing Laura from Hawkmoth, and the reward he received from her from doing so. "Damnit!" he said out loud, smacking his forehead with his open palm. He was a complete disaster of a human and there wasn't much left that he could do about it.

Toweling off quickly, he threw on shorts and a t-shirt. He left his hair damp, knowing that it would have enough styling gel and whatever else they used on it and he didn't want to add into the mixture. His go bag was propped by the door and he left without examining the contents, his flip flops whacking against his slightly damp feet. He put a single earbud in his ear as he closed the suite door, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. Twirling his keys in his hand, he pressed the elevator button, registering quickly that she was not in the hallway. He knew he was late and hoped that she wasn't too irritated with him.

Leaning against the wall in the elevator, he tapped his foot whistling slightly along with the music. Despite all the dreams and not much sleep, his general mood was wavering around happy. He was eager to return to the tradition of riding to set together, even happier that it had been Ally's idea. With everything that did and did not happen between them, he had realized over the past weeks that he missed his best friend, the one person in the world that made him feel whole. Exiting the elevator, he surveyed the lobby looking for his favorite costar.

Ally had been asleep for almost thirty minutes when he spotted her small form curled up on the ornamental couch. As he approached her, Ally made a small noise in her sleep that crept its way directly into his heart. He squatted down next to her, intending to shake her gently, smiling softly when he noticed the small amount of drool escaping her lips. Using his thumb, he touched her cheek gently, wiping away the salvia, pausing slightly as he lightly touched her lips. Without thinking he leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead, relishing in the scent that was purely Ally.

Her eyes fluttered open under her sunglasses, and found her staring at his neck with his hand covering her cheek and his thumb resting lightly on her lips. She felt the kiss on her forehead and smiled, relishing in the familiar feeling. Just slightly, only enough to give her plausible deniability at a later time, she pressed her lips to his thumb.

"Good morning, Ally," Austin felt embarrassed that she had caught him doing something so cheesy, but he wasn't ignoring that she had kissed him back, even if it had been on his thumb.

"Is there really anything good about 5AM?" she joked sitting herself up, breath quickening when he didn't immediately put space between them. "What are you doing anyway?" She playfully swatted at him trying to downplay the sparks flying from her body.

Austin stood up, offering a hand to Ally as he had the night before when their wrestling match was over. "You were drooling," he laughed when she pushed him, "couldn't just let a famous pop star slash actress drool all over herself in public," he put an arm around her shoulders, "even if it was pretty darn cute." He laughed when she did and his entire body reacted to the return of the easy teasing and physical closeness. This was what he remembered about Ally, this is what he… he stopped his thought process as it spiraled dangerously close to something he wasn't ready to address.

Ally bumped her hip against his, "thanks for saving me then, I guess," she glanced down at her outfit, "already looking like a bum, drooling probably would have been the icing on the cake." She laughed at his stupid slow nod, enjoying the feeling of the weight of his arm on her shoulders. "Hey!" she poked him making him squirm, "at least I don't snore!"

"Guilty!" he held up his free arm, unwilling to let her out of his grasp. As they stood waiting for his car to be brought around, he transferred her bag onto his shoulder, and placed his arm around her small waist, hand resting at her hip, fingertips idly tapping against her hipbone. She tipped her head onto his shoulder, sneaking glances up at him through her glasses. All of their movements had been instinctual, years of working together and caring for one another came flooding back in the small movements. Although she wasn't ready to break their contact, she sighed when the car reached their portion of the curb. Whatever had occurred between last night and this morning had certainly eased the tension between them, but she could feel bigger worries bubbling to the surface and she wasn't ready to tackle those feelings.

Austin placed their bags in the trunk and then slid into his driver's seat. When he reached across the center console to grab her hand, she didn't resist or retort in anyway, instead letting her thumb rubbed lightly against his knuckles. Pulling away from the curb, he kissed the back of her hand and watched her smile softly out of the window. It was going to be a long day, but Austin had reason to believe it was going to be one of the better ones.

Unbeknownst to the actors, the social media world was already buzzing over a picture of Austin kissing Ally on a couch and a zoomed in picture of his hand laying on the side of her hip.


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own the characters, but I love them like this!**

* * *

The pounding on the door startled Trish out of her sleep, bringing her to her feet while she cussed loudly. She barely had the door open when Dez shoved it, rushing into the room waving his phone.

"Why are you sleeping?" Dez was squealing and running in a circle, "have you seen this?!" He was waving his phone in her face, making it impossible for her to see anything.

"You doof!" Trish was smacking out at him, trying to grab the phone. "What are you talking about?! Ugh, Dez! Stop gyrating!" She finally got him by the shoulders and shook him.

"This! This! This!" He practically threw his phone at her. "Look at the hashtag that's trending right now!"

Trish opened his Twitter, closing all the other random apps he had managed to open in the midst of his wild flailing. Her eyes were popping out of her head when she finally lifted them to Dez, who was doing his own version of an insane happy dance through the suite. "Where did these pictures come from?" She couldn't really believe her eyes, and had learned over the years not to believe the pictures that cropped up online either. "Are they real?"

"Yup!" Dez couldn't stop moving out of excitement. "Austin was wearing that exact outfit this morning when he left for the day!" He jumped up and down clapping. "Auslly lives!"

"Not if they see this!" Trish felt his excitement, but her anxiety was very real. "Ally avoided this type of publicity for fear of it interfering with her career, how do you think she is going to react seeing this?"

Dropping his hands and letting his shoulders droop, Dez pouted in her direction. Of course she was right, Ally had avoided falling for Austin during their show because of this exact issue. Austin hadn't shared her reservations, and ultimately it had been a dividing point and certainly a huge reason as to why they never ended up together. His good mood deflated, Dez took his phone back looking crestfallen. "We better hurry up and get to set then," Dez hurriedly checked his friends' social media accounts relieved to find that neither of them appeared to have been active that morning, "if they go online at all, this is the first thing they will see!"

"Get out then, idiot!" Trish shoved him out of the door. "I'll get dressed and meet you in the lobby in ten. See if you can reach Tim or Stacey and tell them to hide Austin and Ally's phones!"

As the door shut, Trish banged her head on the wall. If Ally saw her social media any time prior to sorting out her Austin feelings, it was going to be a repeat of five years ago all over again. Two pictures was all it took back then, and they were nothing compared to the intimacy that was blaring from the pictures she had seen a mere minute ago. They were so close now to whatever potential they had, and Trish would not let her best friend backslide again out of fear. "I have to do everything!" she pouted to no one while stomping toward her suitcase to find clothes for the day.

* * *

"Wow," Austin let a low hiss escape from his lips as Ally walked out of the makeup trailer in full Ladybug get up. He heard the clicks, subconsciously acknowledging that the set photographer was documenting their reaction to seeing each other for the first time in their superhero getups. Austin was sure that his reaction would be embarrassing when he saw it later, but right now he couldn't stop staring at his costar. Even dressed in the battle-worn version of her Ladybug costume, the large rip in the side painted to look bloody, she was still completely breath-taking.

Ally let her eyes linger on Ross's leather clad body. She had seen the Cat Noir suit on the prototype model, seeing it on Ross's body was an entirely different experience. The leather clung to him in all the right places, leaving very little to the imagination. Part of her was grateful that she couldn't see his backside, the other part of her couldn't wait until she got a view of it. Looking more carefully, she took in the fake wounds including the slice in his suit near his heart. Memories of her dreams floated in the back of her mind, changing the way she was seeing him, making the wounds feel more realistic to her heart. Lifting a hand to his chest, she traced the fake wound, feeling a twinge in her chest about the idea of him being hurt.

His body was reacting in a very real way to her light touch. Claire's camera was clicking in the background almost as fast as his heart was thudding in his chest. Realization struck that the leather pants would not be kind should his reaction get any stronger, Austin placed a hand over hers, squeezing lightly as he moved it off of his chest. "M'lady, it's only a flesh wound." He used his character's words to ease the moment.

"But you're hurt," Ally fell into character as quickly as he did, watching his hand reach to her side where the Ladybug suit was split. Groaning the way her character would, she slacked into his arm as his fingers touched her side.

Austin scooped her up, bracing her against his chest, as he had done dressed as Adrien the previous day. "Somewhere safe," he whispered, smiling into her purposefully disheveled hair as he started to move.

"Oh my goodness, you two!" Claire was screaming at them as she ran closer. "Hold right there! Let me get a few shots!" The actors did as they were told, changing their facial expressions a few times. "Okay, now put her down, but Ally do the hand on the chest thing again, Austin look at her the way you were," she sighed audibly as they moved into position, "perfect you two, oh my gosh, you guys are so charismatic!"

Her pulse was jumping in her wrist as he stroked it with his thumb. She looked up at him, and he had to mentally remind himself that she was acting. The passion gleaming in her eyes had him feeling dizzy. He took a chance at looking at her lips, smiling in the Cat Noir way he had practiced countless times in his mirror. When he saw her bite her bottom lip, he gave into his urge and kissed her.

The collective mass that was watching in the impromptu photo shoot sighed with the sweetness exuding between the two leading actors. Swartz smiled to himself, drumming his fingers together like a mad scientist plotting his next evil move. "You two are magic!" he yelled making them jump. "Let's take this over to our Master Fu set and film here first." Lowering his voice, he turned to Claire, "get these up as soon as possible, will you? Let's piggy back on the frenzy from this morning." Claire nodded and hurried toward her own trailer, an unsure look on her face.

Unable to hear the exchange between the older adults, Ally was relieved to see the photographer scooting away. "I thought you wanted us to sweat a bit first, sir?" Ally turned away from Austin, smiling softly when he quietly moaned in protest.

"Sweetheart, I think we are all sweating after that little performance!" Tim had arrived from costuming, Stacey at his heels. Everyone laughed as the two actors blushed.

"He speaks the truth!" Swartz waved a hand in Tim's direction. "Also there is cloud cover on the field, so we'll film here and hope the clouds move out by the time we are through. Ready to move?" He glanced around at the camera crew who began to scurry toward the sound stage. "Everyone head for the roof top first," he pointed at three crew members, "you go and make sure our training room set is ready." Turning back around to face his actors, Swartz clapped his hands while jumping in place, "ready to make some magic, folks?" He turned on his heel, walking away, flicking his wrist at various cast and crew as he strode along.

"I better tell Trish and Dez to meet us here," Ally said to Stacey as she joined her and Tim walking toward the first set, "they were going to meet us at the field to watch us film."

Ally reached into her duffle to retrieve her phone, when Stacey knocked it back into her bag. Laughing awkwardly, Stacey pulled out her own phone waving it in Ally's face. "I have Trish's number, I'll text her." Stacey was trying to cover her weirdness by distracting Ally, "you have to climb up there for the next shoot." She pointed up, watching Ally's gaze take in the high roof top scene.

"A hero's work is never finished!" Ally sang cheerfully, running toward the scaffolding, unaware of how much she looked the part while moving.

"And I'll text Dez," Tim said ripping Austin's phone from his hand. "Don't want you to be distracted either!"

Austin moved much slower than Ally had, slowly processing what he had seen on his phone. As soon as Stacey had started speaking in high octaves, he had immediately opened the first social media app his finger could reach. The excessive number of times he had been tagged in pictures of their intimate moments from that morning made his entire body groan. Ally hated the rumor mill and he knew as soon as she saw it the door was going to slam shut again. Stopping short, he realized that Kira was also going to see the pictures and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Stress building in his muscles, he nodded to Bryan who was also dressed in the Cat Noir suit, immediately regretting that it would be Bryan scaling the rooftop and not him. Stepping aside, he resigned himself to spending the next hour watching Bryan act out his scene with Ally, waiting for it to be over and the shooting in the training room set to begin again. The only thing he was currently grateful for was that Bryan wasn't taking any kissing scenes with her. Otherwise, everything else felt like it was going to drop a big steaming pile of trouble, directly on his head.

* * *

"Tikki, spots on!" she shouted, executing the choreography that would eventually be her transformation through digital magic.

"Plagg, claws out!" he made sure that his voice was even was hers, in the same rhythm, executing his own choreography.

They stood for a moment peering at each other, their open wounds still very much untreated. "It's a little weird, right?" Ladybug shuffled her feet staring at the opposite wall.

"What is?" Cat Noir slipped an arm around her waist, smiling smugly. Knowing her true identity was obviously not going to cause a detour in his flirtatious ways.

Gazing at him through her bangs, she returned his smile. "It's a little weird knowing who is under there, I guess." She shifted again when he leaned closer, feeling like she had to get it out. "I guess it was easier to convince myself that we were invincible when I didn't know who you really were. Now, I think I'm going to worry about you constantly." Her hand graced the ripped portion of his leather suit, a cut that ran directly over his heart.

"I told you," he covered his hand over hers as his character had done on the rooftop, "it is merely a flesh wound." He moved her hands until he was holding both of them facing her. "Once you use your lucky charm and we get out of this mess, it will heal, the same as all the others." Dropping one of her hands, he surprised her by kissing the wound on her side. "I will probably worry about you more, as well, if it means anything. I have always been equal parts in awe and scared for you every time we've fought together. Even before I knew who you were, I knew I couldn't live without you."

Ladybug slid back from him, instead of closer, causing a grimace on his face. "We can't let this cloud our ability to work together, we have to still fight as a team. If we can't do that, we might as well give Hawkmoth the miraculouses right now."

Cat Noir's facial expression conveyed his frustration. Pulling her back to him, he dropped his voice to a whisper. "Now I know how much I love you, all of you, and my world feels like a jigsaw puzzle that is finally complete." He put his forehead on hers, "without the unknowing nagging between us, we can be free to love and protect, each other and Paris. The way I see it, it only gets better from here."

Relief spread through her body, shown through the relaxation in her shoulders and the love in her embrace as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Of course you're right, kitty," she let him nuzzle her neck, giggling slightly, "are you ready to get back out there?"

"Yup, let's go out there and put this Nanny in a permanent time out!" he turned to raise an eyebrow at her.

"I haven't heard a single pun since we got here," she reached up and fluffed his hair, "I'm beginning to miss them. Don't change too much now that I know who you are, okay? Cat was really beginning to grow on me."

"I have to get myself _claw-lected_ , m'lady," he grinned when she rolled her eyes, "I want my puns to be _pawsome_ not _pawful_."

"Okay, I regret everything," she laughed as he laced his fingers with hers and yanked her back to him.

"One more kiss," he brushed his fingers on her cheek, "then we'll go kick some akuma tail."

Shaking her head she accepted his kiss, still unsure whether this was going to end well for them. Breaking away, she nodded and together they climbed through the open window toward the akumatized woman ransacking Paris.

* * *

"Cut!" Swartz came running on the set as they were used to seeing him do. "Great, wonderful!" He waved the kwami controllers off of the set. "We need to roll from here. If we need to reshoot any of this we can come back later, but for now we need to take advantage of the sun outside." Walking off set, he motioned for them to follow. "Someone grab the bags!" Swartz was walking quickly and Ally had to jog to keep up with him, nodding at Stacey when she waved Ally's bag in the air. Austin took his bag from Tim who had managed to catch up with them.

"Trish and Dez went for breakfast, they'll met us at the field." Tim's tone was accompanied with narrowed eyes watching Austin for any signs of acknowledgement regarding the predicament.

Nodding curtly, Austin glanced at Ally and shook his head slightly, "sounds good to me, you riding with Stace on the bus?" He was already formulating a plan on how to keep Ally distracted from looking at her phone.

"Yeah, man, you're stuck with you girl!" Tim's meaning wasn't lost on him and Austin elbowed him. Yanking his newest friend's arm, Tim dragged him back from the group. "We killed the battery on Ally's phone while you were shooting and Stacey relocated her charger. I turned yours off. Someone named Kira called at least twenty times, so I thought that was the wisest course of action." Tim watched the anxiety build in Austin. "That's the girlfriend, right?"

Austin nodded. They had been together for almost four and a half years, but Ally had been a constant point of contention. It was for Kira's happiness that he had severed ties completely with Ally after A&A wrapped. He was pretty sure that Kira had never gotten rid of the concern about him and his pretty brunette costar, knowing full well that the social media pandemonium currently raging was going to be it for them. A part of him was heartbroken. A larger part of him was grateful for the out, even if it meant that she would come out looking innocent and betrayed. Boarding the bus, seeing Ally laughing with other members of the cast, waving a hand at him to come sit beside her, he decided that he could handle being torn apart online if it meant he finally ended up where he was meant to be.


End file.
